The Adventures & Misadventures of RWBY
by Summer-Rose-RWBY
Summary: From team RWBY to Ozpin to a random Beowolf, a collection of RWBY one-shots from various points of view. The tone of the one-shots varies but most are generally on the darker side.
1. Just Another Body In the Sea of Corpses

She clutched her stomach as red ran down her shaking hands.

How had it ever come to this?

The thought plagued her as her eyes scanned the valley of blood and death.

Weren't they supposed to be heroes?

Weren't they supposed to save the world?

How could she save a world that was already dead?

But that didn't matter.

She continued walking; she had to find them.

She had to make sure they were safe.

She had to make sure _she_ was safe.

That was all that mattered.

She held on to that desire even as she walked over the spilt blood of the innocent.

Even as she pushed through the smell of rotting corpses and the sound of bestial howls.

Please let the world just grant this one request.

But this world was a cruel, unfeeling place.

And even that last hope was ripped to shreds.

She fell to her knees and let out a chocked gasp.

In front of her was just another body in the sea of corpses.

But not to her.

This was the girl whose smile shone more than the sun.

This was the girl who gave more than she could possibly receive.

This was the girl who had given her purpose and the will to live.

This was the girl who she had sworn to protect.

To her, this girl was everything.

So as she stared back into those cold dead silver eyes, she wept.

She wept until no more tears would come.

But this world was a cruel, unfeeling place.

And she was not even given time to grieve.

Her grief drew them to her.

Black towering beasts intent on her demise.

The same creatures that had taken everything from her.

Did she even have anything to live for anymore?

Would it really be so bad if she died here?

The girl wouldn't have wanted that.

She would have told her to move on, to live, to be happy.

And so she realized.

She couldn't die here.

To do so would be to spit on the girl's sacrifice.

If it was for the girl's sake, then she would live.

And if she was alive, she had so much left to do.

So many words that she had left unsaid.

So many people that she could still save.

The beasts came closer.

And so she realized.

She didn't want to die.

So she ran, and when she could no longer run, she walked, and when she could no longer walk, she crawled, and when she could no longer crawl, she died.

And became just another body in the sea of corpses.


	2. A Bright Future

Blake was annoyed.

To say such was a common occurrence would be an understatement.

Her teammates had a habit of not letting her get any downtime.

Case in point, she had just found a good book and her teammate was already pestering her.

"Blake come on there's something we want to show you!" said Ruby excitedly

She sighed, "Will you leave me alone if I go?"

"Yeah sure just come!" blurted Ruby

"Fine"

Blake marked her page and descended from her bunk.

Ruby was a fine leader and friend, but if she put her mind to something, she would never let it go.

Blake just hoped it would be quick as she started to follow Ruby.

Eventually, after the annoyingly long walk from the school, the two made it to the Beacon Academy cliffs where Yang and Weiss were already sat down.

"Hey Blakey you made it." grinned Yang

"What did you guys drag me all the way out here for?" asked Blake more than a little irritated.

She swore if this one of Yang's stupid jokes she was giving her the silent treatment for a week.

"Just look." scoffed Weiss

Blake rolled her eyes and looked beyond the cliffside.

What she saw took her breath away.

The sun had risen just above the mountains to create an orange glow and a strange feeling of warmth.

Blake stunned by the sight, sat down beside her teammates to bask in its brilliant light.

She had seen a sun like this before.

Once when she had lived in Menagerie, she and Adam were roaming the beaches where they were entranced by a beautiful sunrise.

Adam had said that the sun represented the future they were fighting for, a beautiful future full of warmth and tranquility.

A future that was just out of reach, but if they tried hard enough, they could maybe, just maybe be able to grasp it.

He said that they would grasp that future together.

She believed him.

Back then, things had been different.

She shook herself from her thoughts and took in the scene before her.

Her teammates watched the sunrise in awe with smiles on their faces.

She smiled and joined them.

Why think of her dark past when she had such a bright future ahead of her?


	3. No More Masks

Weiss stared into the mirror and saw a mask.

The mask was perfect.

The mask wore a confident smile.

The mask was the image of a person with pride and power.

The mask was without weakness, at the top of its class, untouchable.

The mask was in control; it walked over its opponents and broke through any obstacle.

The mask was popular; anyone would be lucky to associate with it.

The mask had a large and loving family.

The mask was rich and lived in luxury.

The mask was free; it never took no for an answer and claimed any desire.

But in the end, that was all it was just a mask.

No such person ever existed.

All that lay behind the mask was a little girl.

The little girl was flawed.

The little girl wore a pained smile.

The little girl could not be proud of herself and was powerless.

The little girl was weak, at the bottom of the food chain, vulnerable.

The little girl had no control; her master walked over her and broke through her defenses.

The little girl was alone, friendless, and lonely.

The little girl was unloved by her parents, abandoned by her sister.

The little girl had not a penny of her own and was trapped in a lavish prison masquerading as a home.

The girl was defenseless and weak, unable to stand up and oppose her captor.

So instead she wore the mask and lived a lie.

The lie of perfection.

The lie of confidence.

The lie of pride.

The lie of power.

The lie of strength.

The lie of control.

The lie of friendship.

The lie of family.

The lie of luxury

The lie of freedom.

Weiss's fist shattered the mirror and with it, the mask and the lie.

"No more masks."


	4. Another Drink

She motioned the bartender for another drink.

"You sure miss? It's getting late, and you've already had quite a bit."

"I pay you for alcohol not to question my lifestyle" she replied sourly.

The bartender merely sighed and handed her another drink.

She wondered how many she had already drunk.

She wondered how many more she would drink.

Suddenly and annoyingly, the door burst open and what looked like four young adults walked in.

"What can I do for you?" asked the bartender suddenly more enthusiastic.

His subtlety was so great she felt that he should have been an actor rather than a bartender.

One member of the group a shorter woman answered: "Sorry if it's a bit late, but we just got our licenses and wanted to get a drink to celebrate."

Licenses?

Jeez her sight was getting rusty if kids so young they had only just learned to drive looked this old.

She focused her eye a little, and she noticed it the group carried fairly standard hunter weapons.

Guess they meant a hunter's license, they probably graduated from whatever huntsmen academy was closest to wherever she was.

"Oh it's quite alright you brave souls are what protect civilians like me the least I can do is offer you some drinks" the bartender replied he then eyed her "Besides doesn't seem like I'm going to be closing anytime soon."

She snorted, he was really hammering it home with the incredibly subtle ways of telling her to hurry up and leave.

Besides she was a Huntress too.

Sort of.

Not really.

Eh, whatever.

What a dick.

The group nodded said their thanks and took a seat.

Bored and lacking anything else to keep her attention, she decided to eavesdrop.

She couldn't quite make out exactly what they were talking about, but it seemed to be about the heroism of the job and the cool adventures they would be having.

It made her want to vomit she thought she might have visibly gagged judging by the bartender's expression.

Heh, maybe she should just vomit on the ass.

Would give him an excuse to clean this shithole.

Suddenly there was noise in her ear.

She turned, and it looked like the group she'd been spying on were trying to talk to her.

How drunk was she that they managed to catch her unawares?

Sighing, she focused on the noise.

"Um, hello?" asked a male member of the group.

"What?" She replied her voice so raspy she even surprised herself.

"Why are you out drinking? We were just wondering since we came to celebrate."

So they were bored too, huh.

Didn't mean they had to bother her.

Annoying kids.

"I'm here to die of alcohol poisoning," she said dryly.

They laughed at what they assumed was a joke, but it died down when they saw that she hadn't joined them.

The kid tried to engage her in conversation once more "So you a Huntress?"

Couldn't they just leave already?

Had she not made it clear she wasn't interested in meaningless conversation?

"Not anymore."

"Why?" The girl who had represented the group earlier asked.

Ok, now she was really annoyed.

How the fuck was that any of her business?

"Because what's the fucking point" she spat bitterly.

"To be a hero." said the girl seemingly offended.

"A hero?" She laughed, "I don't know what imaginary world you live in missy, but there's no such thing."

"All Hunters and Huntresses are heroes!" Shouted the girl.

It was at this moment she officially decided she despised this girl.

She was the representation of everything she hated about Huntsmen and extremely familiar in a way that brought back far too many unpleasant memories and regrets.

She looked at the girl mockingly "That has to be one of the stupidest things I've heard in my life do you know how many Hunters and Huntress go rouge? Maybe you should do a school project on it."

The girl bristled, and though her friends seemed to be trying to calm her, she retorted, "They aren't real Hunters and Huntresses."

"Then what is a real Hunter or Huntress?" she asked.

"A real Hunter or Huntress is someone who protects the weak and puts others above themselves" the girl replied naively.

"Wrong. A Hunter or Huntress is a glorified mercenary sold to the public on bullshit heroism like the shit you're spouting. Or are you not a real Huntress? Because you sure as shit haven't done any of that garbage yet."

The girl sneered at her "You're the worst kind of person, someone who doesn't care about anyone but themselves and feels like they have the right to criticize people for trying to do good."

How fucking dare she.

How did she think she had the right?

She glared at the girl anger bubbling inside of her "You have no right to criticize me for anything" She seethed, "You don't know what it's like to be your ideal. You don't know what sacrifices it entails. I tried being your ideal hero; I put others above myself; I saved people! What did I get for it? Everyone I ever cared about died! They all died for your bullshit heroism you little bitch!" She roared.

The bartender dropped a glass in surprise and fear at the intensity of her tirade, and the girl's friends backed away in apparent apprehension and cautiousness.

But to her credit, the girl only flinched.

"Would the people you cared about be proud of you now?" The girl shot back.

The girl crossed a line there.

She was going to die for that.

She growled as she shot out of her seat and reached for her weapon.

But just as suddenly as her rage had overtaken her, reason overtook emotion, and she took a deep breath and put her hand down.

It wasn't worth it.

The anger left, and only the usual exhaustion and self-hatred remained.

"No, they wouldn't be." She replied as the simmering rage left her eye, leaving behind only one old tired silver eye.

She threw some lien on the counter and stumbled out of the bar disappearing into the night.


	5. The Red Liquid Dripped

The red liquid dripped from its lips as it savored the salty flavor of the meat in its mouth as it mixed with the delicious terror of its victim.

The woman had been quite skilled and had cut through its brethren with relative ease.

But it was smarter than them, and despite the woman's carefulness, she could not always be prepared for an attack.

That was when it had struck.

The woman had been caught off guard, and it had struck before she could activate her aura.

Its mighty jaws had torn off her arm, and she had tumbled to the ground.

She had tried to crawl away in a desperate attempt to flee or perhaps find assistance.

It had let her for a while as it feasted on her arm, tricking her into believing it was as mindless as its kin and had lost interest in her.

What she didn't know was that it was old and with its age, it had learned.

It had learned that the delicious prolonged terror of a hope within reach torn away.

Of an escape so close to successful being foiled was far more delicious than the terror of a quick feeding.

As it looked at her, it marveled at how beautifully the red liquid stained the girl's once pristine white clothing.

It was, however, snapped out of its reminiscence, and it turned its head in attention as it heard the sounds of footsteps nearby; it no longer had the time to play with its prey it seemed.

A pity.

It walked up to the girl silently with her none the wiser, and after one last drink of her pain and terror, it tore into her back with its already bloodstained jaw.

The scream she let out as she died was so filled with horror, regret, pain, and sorrow that it couldn't help but find it truly delightful.

Once again it was forcefully removed from its reverie by the sounds of footsteps coming ever closer.

Judging by these sounds of running, it had attracted the owner of the footsteps from earlier.

And then another girl though this one prepared, burst through the forest and turned to face it.

She roared in rage and grief as she saw the lifeless corpse of its victim.

The girl, fueled by her delicious emotions charged it at a speed it could barely comprehend.

It, however, using its experience and skill managed to anticipate her attack and attacking with all its strength, and with its ancient claws, it successfully clawed out her eye.

It's satisfaction at the accomplishment, however, was short-lived as a blade met its neck and it met its end.


	6. He Couldn't Remember

It was with great sadness he realized that he could not remember who he used to be.

He remembered fighting a tragedy, a great evil, failing, dying, and his neverending curse.

And then he was changed.

How? He couldn't quite remember.

He was once a hero who fought for the justice of all.

He was once a father who failed in his duties and led his children to their doom.

He was once an archeologist who searched for hidden artifacts.

He was once a man whose intentions of a simple life were destroyed by darkness.

He was once a hunter of beasts who slew the creations of evil with such prowess that he gave name to an entirely new brand of warrior.

He was once an instructor in the newly discovered technique of the hunters who created a generation of humanity's defenders.

He was once a soldier who rose through the ranks to become a general to defend against the darkness.

He was once a lord who amassed enough power to create a kingdom.

He was once a commander who failed to bring the fight against the evil.

He was once a faunus who witnessed their discrimination with horror.

He was once a hermit who had a chance encounter with four beautiful young maidens.

He was once a king who led his nation through a great war and established peace and a very special school.

He was once a nobody who became a headmaster who accepted many talented individuals, including a wonderful girl with silver eyes and a golden smile who he sent to her death.

He was once a farm hand who traveled with a heavy burden, a simple soul and a constant reminder of a past mistake.

He had been all of these people as well as many others and would surely be many more.

But who was the man who had started the cycle?

What was his name?

What had he looked like?

He couldn't remember, and he had surely forgotten many others and would forget many more.


	7. Everyone had a Reason

Everyone had a reason to drink.

He heard that some drank to forget.

That others drank to remember.

He wasn't quite sure why he did.

It had all started when his sister left.

She was his twin, his other half.

They had always been together through thick and thin.

They had promised.

That no matter what happened they would be inseparable

That no matter what happened they would have each other.

But she was gone.

He was angry at her.

He was angry at her for abandoning her team, her husband, and even her daughter.

He was angry at her for breaking her promise.

He was angry at her for abandoning him.

He was frustrated with himself.

Frustrated that he had been unable to stop her.

Frustrated that he had been unable to convince her otherwise.

Frustrated that he hadn't been important enough to her to make her stay.

He needed something to cope with it.

He needed something to help him forget.

So he went to a bar to drown it out.

One drink became two.

Two drinks became four.

Four drinks became twelve.

He might have let it consume him had she not been there.

She had come for him with her beautiful, sad smile.

She had come for him with her soft melodious voice.

She had come for him with her warm embrace.

She had come for him with her everlasting love.

She prioritized him in her own time of grief.

She laughed, she smiled, and she was so infectious he couldn't help but join her.

She pulled him up from his pit of despair and surrounded him with happiness.

And with people that he loved.

He felt like he could stare into those soft twinkling eyes so filled with love forever.

His sister had left, but he had been given a new family to replace her.

A family filled with unending warmth.

A family filled with laughs

A family filled with smiles.

A family filled with hugs.

A family filled with love.

He stopped drinking after that, after all, why would he need a drink when he had them?

Why would he need a drink when he had her?

He would have stopped forever.

But then she died.

And he soon found himself in a bar once again.

This time, however, she was no longer there to save him.

This lasted for months.

No matter where he was or what he was doing, the drink was with him.

Until one day in a drunken haze, he stumbled to a cabin in the woods.

He wasn't quite sure why, maybe he was hoping, just hoping that maybe if he wanted it enough, he would open that familiar cabin door and be greeted with her beautiful silver eyes just one more time.

He opened the door and was greeted by a pair of silver eyes, just not the ones he wanted.

A little girl about five years of age sat on the couch, all alone looking through a picture book.

Only one thought ran through his mind.

Why was she all alone?

He found the answer to his question as he looked through the house.

Her sister was asleep in her room; her face pressed into a tear-stained pillow.

While their father one of his closest friends was in a state not too dissimilar to his own.

Passed out on a chair in his room consumed by the drink.

He returned to the living room and only then did the girl notice him.

As soon as she saw him, she jumped off the couch eyes full of excitement.

"Uncle Qrow?" she asked with innocent eyes ignorant of the tragedy around her.

"Yeah, kid?" He replied his voice so raspy it could barely be understood

"Can you play with me? Mommy hasn't come back yet, so I tried to ask Dad, but he doesn't hear me anymore, and Yang won't come out of her room."

She looked at the floor sadly and sniffled, "I'm lonely."

Such a simple request stole his breath away.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

When had he become so self-centered that he couldn't notice the obvious?

She had been his world, his everything.

But she wasn't just his best friend; she was also a wife and a mother.

How had he not realized that their sadness, their grief was equal to perhaps even more than his own?

She had been the one to lift her family out of their dark times.

Who had he expected to take her place?

Was it Tai the man who had lost his wife for a second time, who had lost the love of his life and the woman who held together his damaged heart?

Was it Yang the girl who had lost her mother at such a young age, and whose father had shut down?

Or was it Ruby the little girl who was too young even to comprehend what she had lost, the little girl who felt confused and alone?

No, it should have been him.

He should have been the one to return the favor she had given him and lifted her family, their family from this darkest of times.

Why was he moping around in a bar when his friend, the last of his team and their precious little girls needed him?

He crouched down and wrapped his arms around the girl as tears started to pour from his eyes "Sure kid."

"Uncle Qrow, why are you crying?" She asked, confused, worried, and full of love.

"It's nothing kid; I'll make you some lunch and then we can play, alright?"

She looked at him and smiled a truly beautiful smile.

A smile that was all too familiar.

A smile just like hers.

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow."

It was then that he decided that he would never abandon them again.

He laughed with them.

He smiled with them.

He hugged them.

He gave them his love.

And returned that favor she had given him in the time that felt so long ago.

But even then he could still not find it within himself to give up the drink.

He tried giving up the drink, but it somehow always found a way back to him.

He supposed Tai had him beat in that regard.

While he had had to drag him from his pit once Tai was out, he never touched a drop again.

In the end, he wasn't sure why he still drank.

Was it to forget the pain or remember the joy?

In the end, it didn't matter because one thing was certain he would never let it consume him again.


End file.
